The Church of England
The Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Newcastle within the Church of England, and the seat of the Bishop of Newcastle, The Rt Revd Martin Wharton. You can find out more about the Diocese of Newcastle on the Diocesan website.
The Church of England plays a vital role in the life of the nation, proclaiming the Christian gospel in words and actions and providing services of Christian worship and praise.
Its network of parishes cover the country, bringing a vital Christian dimension to the nation as well as strengthening community life in numerous urban, suburban and rural settings. The Church plays an active role in national life with its members involved in a wide range of public bodies. Twenty-six bishops are members of the House of Lords and are engaged in debates about legislation and national and international affairs.
The Church of England is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Newcastle Central Deanery
Each diocese of the Church of England is divided into groups of parishes known as deaneries. Each deanery has a synod (assembly) consisting of the parish clergy and any clergy employed as chaplains (House of Clergy) and elected lay representatives from each parish (House of Laity), the number from each parish varying according to the numbers on their electoral roll.
The Synod's main functions are to provide a forum for discussion of issues affecting the Church in the area, to discuss matters referred to it by the Diocesan Synod, and to determine how much each parish is to pay towards the amount of money required from the deanery by the diocese. Members of Deanery Synods vote in elections to the Diocesan Synod and the General Synod.
The Cathedral is part of Newcastle Central Deanery, and the Cathedral clergy belong to the House of Clergy. Lay representatives are elected at the Annual Meeting to serve for three years. Currently the House of Laity members are Jean Goddard, Katherine Govier and Tony Curtis.
Newcastle City Centre Churches Together (N3CT)
N3CT are eleven member congregations from six denominations and three affiliated bodies, united in a common effort to work together for greater tolerance and mutual understanding, and putting faith into action by supporting, practically and spiritually, the charitable work of each of its members. The Cathedral’s representative is Ruth Lunn.
Newcastle Council of Faiths
The Newcastle Council of Faiths exists to promote good inter faith relations, and is part of the Inter Faith Network for the UK, founded in 1987 to promote good relations between people of different faiths in this country.
Its member organisations include representative bodies from the Baha'i; Buddhist; Christian; Hindu; Jain; Jewish; Muslim; Sikh; and Zoroastrian communities; national and local inter faith bodies; and academic institutions and educational bodies concerned with inter faith issues.
Further Information
The Network works with its member bodies to help make the UK a place marked by mutual understanding and respect between religions where all can practise their faith with integrity.
The Network's way of working is firmly based on the principle that dialogue and cooperation can only prosper if they are rooted in respectful relationships which do not blur or undermine the distinctiveness of different religious traditions.
For more information about the Council of Faiths, please contact the Diocesan Inter-Faith adviser:
Ms Lesley Carson
Inter-Faith Adviser
Church House
St John's Terrace
North Shields
NE29 6HS
Tel: (0191) 270 4148
